Neil Grove | |
---|---|
Born |
Klerksdorp, South Africa |
18 January 1971
Other names | Goliath |
Nationality |
South African English |
Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
Weight | 264.6 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
Division |
Heavyweight (265 lb) Super Heavyweight (265+ lb) |
Reach | 78.0 in (198 cm) |
Fighting out of | London, England |
Rank |
Shodan Black belt in Gōjū-ryū Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
Years active | 2006 - present |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 21 |
Wins | 12 |
By knockout | 12 |
Losses | 8 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 3 |
By decision | 4 |
Draws | 1 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Neil Grove (born 18 January 1971) is a South African-English Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Grove has also competed for the UFC, Bellator Cage Rage, UCMMA, and the SFL.
Originally from South Africa, Grove began competing in rugby at a young age. Having attended eight different schools growing up, Grove was frequently bullied being the "new kid," and often got into fights as a result. In 1996, Grove moved to London, England where he worked as a personal trainer, sports therapist, and also worked as a bouncer at an Irish nightclub in South London. In 2000, after Grove and a fellow bouncer were involved in a massive brawl at the nightclub, the two men were forced to take Goju-ryu classes at Daigaku Karate Kai as a way of learning control and self-restraint. Grove soon developed a love for the martial art, which, as a combat-style karate, involves throws and submission wrestling. A year after receiving his black belt in 2005, Grove transitioned into Sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.
Grove made his professional debut at UKMMAC 17: Iron Circle on 16 November 2006, beating Anthony Okorie by TKO. He next fought at UKMMAC 18: Fists of Fury against Denniston Sutherland, who was 30 kg lighter than Grove at the time. Grove won by TKO in the first round.
On 14 July 2007, Grove made his Cage Rage debut at Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell, stepping in on two days notice to fight PRIDE veteran James Thompson. Grove knocked out the heavily favored Thompson in just 10 seconds of the first round. Grove followed up with two more stoppages in Cage Rage before facing former Cage Rage heavyweight champion Rob Broughton. Grove lost the bout by majority decision.